Switches or switching nodes interconnect end nodes of a data communications (or transfer) network and forward data packets between the end nodes. Switches are transparent to the end nodes and generally are not directly addressed. Instead, packets are addressed to their ultimate destination in a network using a local destination address. For one class of switches, every destination port within a network of switches is configured with one or more unique local destination addresses to provide this functionality. From the point of view of a switch, a local destination address represents a path through the switch from one of its input ports to an output port. A switching node is conventionally configured with a single forwarding table. Individual packets are forwarded through a switch to an output port or output ports based on the packet's local destination address field and the switch's forwarding table.